Welcome to Terrapin
by Ramica
Summary: A formal introduction to the world of terrapin and how the ninja boys came to be there. First of the terrapin tales.


                       Welcome To Terrapin.

 Disclaimer: I don't own the Tmnt or Splinter. I do own Terrapin and, all it's inhabitants. Anyone interested in using anything from Terrapin just ask. I wouldn't mind seeing what someone else can do with this place.

 Rating: Pg for mild swearing.

 Author's note: I actually started the Terrapin stories back when the first movie came out. I want to share a couple of the stories with you but I felt a formal introduction was necessary. So consider this an introduction to Terrapin and its ways. Please R&R Thnks.

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    It is really very strange when I think back on the time I met my husband, dear Domoskan. Hopefully I can get this done in time before he comes home and, finds me at the computer- he doesn't like me working at home. He says I work far too much as it is.

     I was just thirteen when we met. My three sisters and, I were, heading out on communion the day it all started. Communion being a break from school meant to relax and, commune with nature. We Terrapins are very big on that.

      Two of my sisters were actually foster sisters. We had grown up in the same foster home. Flo was the oldest of us she was sixteen at that time and, she has red hair and, red eyes which was rather unusual for Terrapins. Laura is my true sister and, we look a lot alike even though she is two years my senior about the only noticeable difference is our hair and, eye color. Laura has lighter brown hair and, darker green eyes than I have and, now well I 'm more muscled than my sister comes with my job. Back then though we were about the same physically. Then there was Beth she was a bit of a ditz, friendly as could be. She was a blonde and, had a tendency to choose borderline discontents the troublemakers of Terrapin society.

    Don't get too confused now Terrapin is what we call our world and, what we call ourselves. 

     Anyway we never did get to go on communion, not the way we were supposing to at any rate. Somehow someway we found ourselves pulled through a dimensional portal to another world and we ended up in the strangest of places I had ever seen and, there were these two beings there one called Shredder and, another called Krang who were carrying on a discussion about how they PLANNED to use us against their enemies.

   We managed to escape that place by sheer dumb luck alone. I mean, yeah, I was in the fighting art school back home and, I had taught my sisters a little of what I learned but we were not that skilled by any stretch of the imagination.

     So here we were on a strange world, lost far from home and, no way to get home unless we went back to where that Shredder and, Krang guy were and, that just didn't appeal to any of us. Even though we knew it might be the only way to return home.

    We were underground traveling through a maze of tunnels and, pipes once in a while we saw ladders which lead upwards but we didn't dare use them as we didn't want to make a bad situation worse and, things were bad enough as it was.

    A few days later we saw HIM- what was one day to become my husband only I didn't know THAT then and, back in those early years trust me I had a lot of doubts about him, in fact truth be known I rather preferred his brother Leo as he was much more Terrapin in manner then HE was.

    We had gone into hiding as soon as we heard splashing noises and, someone grumbling we didn't want to be seen. But when he came into view he looked almost like a Terrapin himself except for a few minor differences.

   Like he had three fingers instead of five and, two toes instead of four. He was also bald totally BALD. Only terrapins who are bald are usually the very old or hatchlings. He had on a red mask, pads on elbows and, knees and a belt around his middle.

    We were pretty shocked to see someone like him, we really weren't expecting it after all and, he seemed just as shocked to see us four terrapin girls. When we told him how we got here he grinned and said Old Shred-head might have done them a favor for a change.

   He brought us back to his home and, introduced us to his family three turtle brothers and, a rat their Sensei who they called Splinter.

   Raph for that was his name, had explained to us that we were on Earth in New York city and, that they hid in the sewers because people wouldn't understand them though he did admit that they had a couple of human friends.

    We girls knew a little bit about Earth, we use to have an old transmission tower connected to the tech science school and, it was used by students to pick up and try and, translate the different transmissions that were received. That's how we Terrapins picked up the English language and, adopted it for our own it was far easier to speak then Terrapin language was that was for sure.

     So at least with that in our background we could understand one another easily enough.

    Beth hit it right off with Mike who seemed to be more than borderline discontent by Terrapin standards. As for Raph well it was pretty easy to see that he could earn a death sentence on Terrapin at the worst and, be banned as an outcast at the very least. 

    Don and, Leo they could pass for good Terrapin citizens with just a little work.

    When I learned the boys did a type of fighting art known as Ninjitsu I would often join them in their practice sessions or had Leo help me out in his spare time. He seemed to enjoy passing things on to me and, helped me perfect both my hand-to-hand skills and, my technique with weapons. I was interested in the varied weapons the boys used not just sword and, staff which were the only weapons found on terrapin. I myself usually preferred the staff.

   I enjoyed fighting arts for the art of it alone luckily on Terrapin that was about all it was used for an art form which dated back to our more bloodthirsty days when Terrapins use to fight one another. Now a days terrapins are peaceful we don't care to fight at all and, the fighting art school is one of the lower ranked of the twelve schools on our world.

   I was nowhere near the boy's level of training. In fact I doubted that the Grand Master Jerint would be able to defeat the boys even in a mock battle but these boys had learned to fight to protect themselves. They had fought and, won in battle and, that makes a big difference.

    Little did I know that by being with them and, training with them that I too would take on that extra edge, the difference that separated the art from the warrior.

    I had to get good, I had to get better because I was determined to unravel the mysteries of Raphael and, his explosive attitude. Whenever he left I went after him and he HATED me for it. Beat me up for it to, oh he never broke bones or tried to kill me but that's all I can say in his favor.

   My sister always being over protective told me Raph was Tikakan and, to avoid him. I wasn't about to I just figured I had to get better so Raph couldn't hurt me, so it was Raph who forced me to improve my fighting skills more than anything else could of.

    Flo liked giving Leo a bad time and started to call him Nardoelo, which is a terrapin word. Leo thought she was purposely mixing up his name " It's Leo" he told her time and, time again. We girls got a big kick out of it because he didn't know what it meant and, we weren't about to tell him we had bets placed on when he'd actually figure out what was being said.

   Luckily for Leo, Flo spent most of her time helping Don and, Laura fix up a portal to send us home again.

    Don seemed to have a lot of technical knowledge that he had learned on his own. Laura's technical expertise ran a different way but she rather liked the shy turtle and, was hoping she could draw him out of his shell. Laura at home was a med practioner and, a scientist of Terrapin flora and, fauna. Flo had been in tech science school for some time before she went into art. Flo liked trying new things she knew many trades and, specialized in none.

   Anyway one day they managed to achieve success they had a working portal that could take us home. Don gave us a communicator that he hoped would work across the dimensional distance so we'd be able to keep in touch.

   It was a pity really that the boys couldn't come live on Terrapin with us they would have had a far better life. Of course I had no idea then that one day they would.

    It was a damn good thing Don gave us that communicator, because six terrapin months later Shredder and his goons invaded Terrapin. Once again dumb luck on our side I and, my sisters managed to escape notice and, get out of town. I'm sure we weren't the only ones to escape but we were the only ones who knew of someone who might be able to handle the present situation.

    Splinter, and, his boys were quite willing to come help out. Once they were here Splinter figured we could use a few Terrapin Masters help so sent the boys and, I to go fetch them. Once that was done we headed for a safe place to plan our next attack.

   Our Masters found the four ninja boys to be unruly and, undisciplined by their standards. What can I say the Masters of Terrapin are very strict and, they would NEVER put up with Mike's goofiness or Raph's surly disrespectful ways if either of them had been under their jurisdiction? Luckily for the boys they fell under Splinter's jurisdiction.

     The boys seemed quite happy to be able to roam freely in the open for a change though they had two minor problems with being on Terrapin.

   The first being we didn't have pizza. We terrapins live off the land and, at harmony with our world never taking more than what is needed or can be used. Leaving most of our world in its natural state of uncharted wilderness. Or at least uncharted at that time.

      Domoskan over the many years has changed that quite a bit. In fact he probably knows more about Terrapin then most Terrapins do.

    The second was that we terrapins eat raw fish, which the boys called sushi, and, Mike insisted was poisonous to mutant turtles. Strangely enough they have all learned to eat the stuff now and, have suffered no ill effects from it.

   We girls learned that Mike and, Raph were now calling Leo Nardoelo and, that amused us to no end especially since they intended it as an insult and, the meaning is quite the opposite. Leo still hated it and, that is probably why his brother's did it.

    Well the boys managed to send Shredder packing in disgrace and, then they stayed for a bit attending one of our award ceremonies the Soulray awards.

   Awards are given out four times a year to students in schools who do extremely well. I it's also at these awards that grants can be earned. Grants are either monetary or is a house.

  The boys all got awards for helping Terrapin out in our time of need. Leo got two awards that day. One of them was one I had never seen given out before or since.

  The Nardoelo award given to those who show great leadership abilities during stressful times.  That is why Nardoelo means Great leader in our language there is no way to say it disrespectfully. It is a very high compliment.

  Well, Leo now knew what it meant and, all bets were off. Flo figured she'd have to settle on something else for poor Leo started calling him Nardo or Leona.

   Raph said he liked Flo simply because she could get Leo going faster than he could and, Leo actually seemed to lay off Raph while he tried desperately to avoid Flo.

 .   There was one other decision the Masters of Terrapin revealed that night. One that was totally unexpected when you consider the Masters are the rulers of our world, they make and, up hold the laws and, when you consider what the boys were like for the Masters to decide such a thing was mind boggling to say the least.

  See Splinter and the boys were told that they could make Terrapin their home if they wanted to. That they were welcome to visit terrapin when ever they wanted and they alone would be permitted to have weapons outside of the Fighting Art School.

   The Masters informed the boys that when they visited or moved here they could get schooling in whatever they desired.

   In other words they were to consider themselves Terrapin citizens.

    The boys were grateful but they did have to return home to New York but they often visited us or we would visit them during school breaks over the next four years at any rate.

   Over that time span Mike and, Beth got a lot closer so close that I suppose it was inevitable for Mary Anne their daughter to be hatched.

  Mary Anne was placed into foster care here on Terrapin many parents who are too busy to devote time to a family will often allow a foster family to raise them. The real family visits and, the child grows up in a nice loving stable environment.

   Mary Anne aged quickly. Laura figured it had something to do with the mutagenetic compound of the boy's blood which had carried over. Mary Anne aged years in a few months time then she seemed to stop aging entirely. For the last three years she has maintained a seven-year-old level.

   We were soon to learn to expect this rapid growth from any children the boys fathered but with Mary Anne it was hard to judge weather this was normal or not.

   She soon earned the nickname of Monkey, which suited her mischievous, playful nature. It was the boys who started that nickname and, we girls picked it up from them.

    Over that time I had become a better fighter with what I learned from the school on Terrapin and, with training with the boys whenever I could I had actually gotten to the point that I could beat all four boys out of their shells if I wanted to.

    Raph had a hard time with that fact but I'll say one thing for him. He did stop beating me up and, we spent more time talking than fighting that was when I first started getting close to him. I think he also admired the fact that I had become that good only he wouldn't admit to it.

    Instead he started teaching me how to use the sais and, throwing weapons like knives, and, shuriken.

    Splinter also started training me in a ninja technique, which required concentration, and hand movements. The Kuji-kiri could allow a ninja to kill an enemy without the use of any weapon other then your mind, though Splinter told me a ninja trained to that level does not take a life.

   Why Splinter felt I was ready to learn this skill instead of teaching Leo, I really don't know but one never questions a Master's decisions.

     The boys when they visited terrapin had a hard time adjusting to the different hours in our days.

   We have sixteen-month years. Our days are forty-six hours long. The nights depending on the time of year are anywhere from twelve to sixteen hours of that and, one week on Earth was about half of a week on Terrapin.

    They had a lot of fun going to different schools that caught their interest. Don of course went into tech school to learn more in depth stuff. Leo went into visual arts painting and, sculpting he did quite well at it. At least he earned a house on a grant off of one of his paintings. That was where they lived when they visited us, while we lived in an apartment. Mutant upstarts!

   Mike was into music but his version of music and, the Masters never quite agreed with one another so he didn't do to well. He recently gave up music for Master Neevina's culinary school and, she loves him. She plans to have Mike placed in one of the top restraints when he's done. Though she does admit that she finds him a little odd when he keeps trying to perfect his pizza recipes.

    Raph well, I got him into Survival School a school meant to explore the wilderness of Terrapin brining back unknown flora or fauna for study and, so on.

    Master Taria and, Raph had some problems at first but he turned out to be her best student she had ever had. He's won a lot of grants for his work in the school.

   Being on Terrapin and, having the freedom to roam and, learn about his adopted home seemed to do wonders in calming Raph's temper and, attitude down.

      Of course all the boys were expected to practice in the fighting art school and, when I could I joined them for the days lessons.

   The boys were impressed that noone on Terrapin went without a home or food that was provided of course the lower you are in our society decides what you are given for instance a student gets an apartment with shabby furniture and, the lower grade foods. Grand Masters get the best of everything but they work hard for it. Of course anyone who wanted to could go out into the wilderness and, catch or pick whatever they wanted to supplement their diet.

  The boys liked the idea that they were paid to go to school. Teachers and, Grand Masters are also paid a salary.

    Students don't get paid a lot of money but the only thing they need to spend it on is entertainment or on items out of specialty stores for themselves or for friends. An evening of entertainment could be very expensive especially if you were a lowly student but luckily there were lots for students to do that didn't cost too much.

     The big money for students came in the form of grants.

     I myself became a grand Master at the age of seventeen. I married Domoskan that same day.

   It was shortly after we were married that Splinter allowed the boys to come live on Terrapin on the condition they kept up with their practices and, that they would return to New York whenever April let them know Shredder was causing trouble.

     They boys actually finished off Shredder a short time after that as if moving t o Terrapin had actually given them the incentive to get it over with once and for all.

            That's when things really started to move.

       Raph and I had two children a boy we named Jerint after my old Master and, a daughter called Kayla. Kayla has my looks and, her father's quick ready temper. She can get her father going faster than anyone else can but Raph loves her spunk.

    Kayla is what terrapins call a throwback meaning she is more like our distant ancestors, as she cannot walk or talk. She uses sign language, which we taught her, or a voice activated computer her uncle Don made for her. To get around she uses a motorized wheel chair, walks on her hands or rides on her pet Ramda a half horse half deer creature, which is native to terrapin we caught it and, tamed it for her use. Something that has never been done before.

       Kayla is the only terrapin to survive with such challenges so most terrapins don't know how to deal with her, their ignorance and, constant teasing only fuels her quick ready temper.

    Don and Laura married and, had one son Yoshi who makes his father look like an idiot and, the rest of us look much worse.

     Leo and, Flo also had two children a boy and, a girl. The girl they named Milanna but she is usually called Mia for short. Leon the boy has his mom's red hair and, eyes and, his father's calm temper. Leon and, Kayla are the best of friends and, the family has taken to calling them Yin and, Yang.

    All the children aged quickly to seven years except for Mary Anne who was already seven.

     Around that time we ended up in a heap of trouble due to a book concerning some prophecy about our children being the end of terrapin as we know it and, an invasion by two alien creatures known as the Minkos and, the Carjous . They had come to plunder and, destroy all the natural beauty of Terrapin. We were living as outlaws in a hidden valley, which became known as Ninja valley. It took some time and, hard work to clear up that but we managed. We also learned the truth about that blasted prophecy. Our children were not the end but a new beginning for the terrapin race. You see Leon is able to see the future and, he knows that the terrapin race is dying out but because of the mutant qualities in the boys blood which will carry over, will allow the terrapin race to continue. Kayla is able to see visions of the past and, we haven't figured out how far back she can go. Mary Anne seems to know when certain things need changed to get things on the right path. Those three and, Yoshi are here to guide us on the right path to save our race.

    Well we got everything cleared up at any rate, and we got rid of the invaders and were allowed to return home again. We have only been back a short time.

    " Liralen!" a sharp bark behind me.

    Oops Domoskan is home. Damn Ninja stealth! I didn't even hear him come in. I saved what I was writing and, turned to face him " Yes Domoskan."

 " Don't you YES Domoskan me! What were you doing working again? How many times have I told you when you are at home you are NOT to do anything with the school?" he yelled glaring at me. His arms crossed over his chest.

 Oh, Yeah, him and I have gotten into a lot of battles over how much I work it is just as well Splinter is my assistant at the school and, gives me a few days off each week to spend with my family but with him getting older we're training Leo to fill in for me as assistant when Splinter retires.

   "I was just storing a few memories Domoskan. It wasn't work" I replied sweetly.

  " Yeah.Right! Sure Joan, and I am suppose to believe that? Do I have stupid written all over me? And if I were you I'd watch how you answer that you're in enough crap with me all ready.

   I have MY spies they ratted. They also want their dinner," he snapped at me.

     " Domoskan you are a fool. I love you and, my honor is for you and, you alone" I knew when to use my best defense against him and I strolled over and, kissed him long and hard.

 " Don't do that when I'm angry at you. Hell spoils all my anger and…"

  I kissed him again to shut him up this time. When I broke off the kiss he just stared at me and, muttered something under his breath.

 " Domoskan I wasn't working honest!"

" I know what Domoskan means Joan," he informed me. I had never told him.

 " Ah ha learned enough terrapin to figure it out huh?"

" Yeah. Peaceful warrior. Kinda contradictory ain't it?"

 " Yes but considering Ninja are often known as the warrior who can fight or flee that does make them rather peaceful. Also much as you try to act like you haven't changed any. You have changed a great deal Raph. I think it suits you."

  " Not as much as Liralen suits you. Heart's life." He grinned at me.

 " Ah Very good. You have learned well"

 " Yup. Now all I hafta to do is learn how to curse in Terrapin and, I'm all set."

 " Domoskan you're incorrigible!"

" Yeah so! You like that about me Joan. Come on the kids are starvin' and so am I"

  He took me by the hand and I knew I wouldn't be allowed to enter my office at home for the rest of the evening. He would see to that.

 Anyways welcome to Terrapin.

     Grand Master

 Jebahan

 Pronounced Ray-baa-han.

 I still prefer the English Joan.


End file.
